Amazon Unlocks Fire Phone & Slashes Price

[zebradude]

Originally Posted by Indio777

xdadevelopers, Fire phone firesale thread.

Yep Yep and Yep...

[zebradude]

Looking at the specs it shows that the Fire Phone has a NFC chip. I loaded Google Wallet hoping that it could be used as a payment device but no go!

So the question is why is it there if it has no use or what am I missing??

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by booklover6

My Volt is here. It's very nice, but I haven't used it, waiting on my case. It's all set up and ready to go.

The odd thing is, the storage looks like it's 4gb, but supposedly it's 8gb. I can't imagine the OS takes 4gb, but maybe it does. I'd like to know what yours says, when you get it.

Bloatware sure can. Remember, this is a no-contract carrier phone. That means that KitKat takes a certain portion of it; after which, LG comes along and adds stuff. Then they ship it to Boost Mobile who adds even more stuff. That takes a toll on the ROM.

If you have around 4-5GB of user available storage, then that would be normal. If the phone only had 4GB ROM, then you'd only have around 2GB or less to play with. My 32GB Nexus 7.2 only has 26.4GB of user available storage and my 16GB Fire HD 6 has 12.2GB.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

If you have around 4-5GB of user available storage, then that would be normal.

Ok, then it's gotta be an 8gb phone.

My case came today, so I will try out some audio books on it!

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by booklover6

Ok, then it's gotta be an 8gb phone.

My case came today, so I will try out some audio books on it!

Post your comments about it in this thread; if you would please

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by zebradude

From what I can tell the mapping program needs to be online to function. sorry...

Thanks. You might have saved me $200. (Except for that Navfree tidbit below.)

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

Thanks. You might have saved me $200. (Except for that Navfree tidbit below.)

If you think about it, it is only $100 if you already have Prime or plan on getting it. But any Android device would work with Navfree - it only needs a gps receiver built in.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

If you think about it, it is only $100 if you already have Prime or plan on getting it. But any Android device would work with Navfree - it only needs a gps receiver built in.

I have thought about just that. If prime were worth $99 to me, I would already have it, so it's not. So the fire phone has to be worth at least $199 - whatever prime is worth to me. And any capability provided by other stuff I already have takes off from its value to me. No SD card and no possibility of running linux are already big minuses.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

I have thought about just that. If prime were worth $99 to me, I would already have it, so it's not. So the fire phone has to be worth at least $199 - whatever prime is worth to me. And any capability provided by other stuff I already have takes off from its value to me. No SD card and no possibility of running linux are already big minuses.

That is true. I have no use for a mini tablet ontop of my phone. Phone is contract and not willing to switch or go contract-less. If I needed a mini tablet I still got the old S4 laying in a drawer gathering dust (our backup phone if anything happens to the other phones). Not sure if Prime is worth it - not for the price. If it would be cheaper bundled with KU, then maybe, but that is not the case (yet?). Amazon puts the Voyage on sale for $199 and throws in a free year of KU? Sure, sign me up, I'll take two.

[jj2me]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

Thanks. You might have saved me $200. (Except for that Navfree tidbit below.)

If it's just offline maps and navigation that you're interested in, you might like the Here Maps and Here Drive apps offered on Microsoft Windows Phones, with their free downloadable maps (I've loaded several U.S. states and a European country).

My Windows phone is a low-end Nokia Lumia 520, which I had bought for $40 on sale, and just use as a media player and occasional GPS device. But if I were buying now, I would get the slightly updated Microsoft Lumia 635, when it goes on sale again for $40 like it was on Black Friday, because it has a 4.5" screen compared to the 520's 4.0" screen.

But there's a trick to downloading the maps. Because these cheap phones only have 8 GB of internal storage, which is not enough to load many maps once you add a few common apps, you have to load the maps to the SD card, which is not possible out of the box. The trick is that you have to follow these instructions, which include getting a special app for allowing maps to be loaded onto an inserted micro SD card.

What's special about this trick is that the needed app, "Lumia Storage Check," is not found via searching the Windows Phone Store, but rather is sent as a link in an e-mail. Hey, it's Windows Phone!

The navigation app behaves a bit differently from my stand-alone GPS and Google Maps, but once I got used to it, it's completely adequate.

A caveat: My experience is as a U.S. resident. I don't know whether the instructions linked above will work outside the U.S., nor whether you'll be able to freely load maps from any country as I did.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Katie1

Well Had I know the Deal ends Midnight Tonite PST I would have just went for the Basic as I had planned Now looks like I lose both.

Katie, the phone offer extended til Dec 3. Just for you!

[Breathinlady]

Originally Posted by zebradude

Well I'm not real impressed with Straight Talk today. I placed a order for a NANO SIM package last week thursday. I was sent a broken tracking number on Saturday and their lack of customer line promised me a call back this week after waiting 45 minutes on hold.

When you get the SIM and activate you phone please let us know how it went. I have been on SmarttTalk for a year using a really cheap phone. Just got my Fire Phone and want to transfer it to ST. I have ordered the SIM for AT&T and shoud have it this coming Monday. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by booklover6

My Volt is here. It's very nice, but I haven't used it, waiting on my case. It's all set up and ready to go.

The odd thing is, the storage looks like it's 4gb, but supposedly it's 8gb. I can't imagine the OS takes 4gb, but maybe it does. I'd like to know what yours says, when you get it.

I stuck a 32 GB card in mine. I love it, and it comes with Google Play. I may cancel my Fire Phone order. The only complaint I have so far is not with the LG Volt, but with Virgin Mobile. Every time I call someone, I show up on their caller ID as "K***** R***". Two months and several phone calls and emails ago I was promised that within 5 business days that would be changed to "WT Sharpe". I'm still waiting. It's aggravating to have people not pick up on you because they know no one named "K***** R***". This morning I got a call from a bill collector looking for one of her relatives. Maybe I should keep the Fire Phone after all.

[Barbara1955]

Originally Posted by booklover6

Katie, the phone offer extended til Dec 3. Just for you!

Tho don't think it was just for me! I been sitting here since 2am est off/on checking Planning on being at the bank when it opens tomarrow!

My son got a huge disappointment this morning ... his EA games that were on sale are now Off sale

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Katie1

My son got a huge disappointment this morning ... his EA games that were on sale are now Off sale

I'm watching an Amazon Lightning Deal right now selling for a price that's higher today than it was yesterday when it wasn't a lightning deal.